Thank you for bringing this back to my attention. I'm a born and bred Dundonian, and remember the jute ships going up to unload and keep the mills stocked. There's so many scottish trad songs which were actually Victorian pastiches (Over the Sea to Skye, or my favourite example The Northern Lights of Aberdeen, written by Mary Webb, who lived in Shropshire and never set foot in Scotland) or (Sir!) Harry Lauder who did a lot of damage (imho) and I'd let this gem slip through, too. Okay, so I may be applying some sort of puritanical prejudice, but it does resonate to know that this song was written by somebody who lived and suffered the harsh life of the song.

Go to Dundee today, and you can see the heritage museum which gives a rather sanitised but still fascinating insight into the life and times of such as Mary Brooksbank.